D35 Swap

[SBJ420]

So I started my D35 swap today, got the D28 all out today, tomorrow put the D35 in. Only thing I need to do before I put it in is get the springs out. Might need to take it to a shop to get them off. Here is what I got down so far..... This is not sitting on those tires at all. Those are there to make me feel a little better about getting under this thing! its on 6ton jack stands
10am I losened as much as I could before I put it on jack stands so I was not prying on anything too hard when I was under the truck. If any one has any hints on getting those springs off the axles it would be great!

First thing I did was take the drive shaft off

Than I took the bolts off of the steering stablalizer and pitman arm.

Than break lines and socks

Than the springs and beams

Now this is where I am left at for the day. 5pm

The radius arms are 28mm, also where the springs bolt to the radius arms is 28mm
One beam was 15mm and 18mm. Other was 18mm

 

[rookieshooter]

Me like. What other plans do you have for it.
Arn't you guys supposed to have snow on the ground this time of the year?

 

[SBJ420]

hahahaha well not here in Vancouver, we get very mild winters. The grass is green all winter, dont get much snow at all. But go up north in BC and you got your snow (or any other place in Canada)

Well as for plans, first I need to get this all swaped in, than first thing I will need to do is change the gears over, when $$ lets me. Gears that are in there now are 355.... I just swaped in a 8.8 aswell. I had to get rid of the 7.5 and D28. SO gears than lockers. This was my DD up untill a few weeks ago, so now I can work as much as I want on it now.

I just got to get those srpings off and switched over to the D35 and than I can start putting it back together

 

[Bronco II]

You just need a deep 1 1/8" socket ( 28 mm ) & a long extension to get the spring nuts off. The bolts holding the radius arms to the TTB & the radius arm bushing nuts are the same size too .

 

[SBJ420]

Okay I got them off, it was a 1.1/8 deep socket! thanks for that. What I did was use the socket and a breaker bar, and just turned the springs with the bar untill it came off. Would be one hell of a extension to get down in with the 4" lift springs. I got one beam up, the drivers side, I jacked it up with a floor jack so I could move it around, I got the radius arm in and the beam. Put them both in very lose. When I tryed to get the passanger side up it was giving me too much hell with no help so I called it quits for the day. The axle kept falling out right in the middle, and was too hard to push in and pull up and move the beam into place, and get the radius arm in all at the same time. So I will get a friend to come over and give me a hand. Everything is going together very well tho.
I need to get a pull tool to get the pitman arm and steering rods apart, I am going to use the ones from the ex that came with my D35. The ones from the D28 are beat up.

 

[rookieshooter]

I know what you mean by getting a friend. I live in this one dog town and I'm about the only one that likes messing with this kind of stuff. So my friend for installing and moving those heavy front axels and tweaking those springs in and out was a 6 foot long heavy steel bar that had like a spade end at one end. Just used is as a lever and Bingo, it would move the whole truck off the jack stands if needed. The less you had at the fulcrum point the more it would lift.

 

[SBJ420]

I moved to BC not too long ago, and still dont know alot of people, and the people I do know, dont work on trucks, and wouldent want to come and give me a hand. Got a few buddys I got wheeling with but its nice out right now, (not raining) it tends to rain in the winter for months straight, so they are working hard aswell before the rain starts back up.

Well I got the other beam up, it was a hell of a time trying to get the axles to slide together and get the beam up and the radius arm in the bracket. So I lifted the beam up with a floor jack as high as I could get it, than put the two axles together than pushed it all in and got the beam into place, than put the nut and bolt in. But I could not get the raidus arm in the bracket while I was doing this. I figured it would be easy enuff to take off the bracket and put the radius arm together in the bracket than just push it back up and bolt it down. So this is where I am at now. I will take some pics of where I am at when I get home, I hope to get the tires back on tonight aswell.

 

[SBJ420]

Okay I got the radius arm in the bracket and bolted back down to the frame. Now I have everything hooked up so I can get my tires on tonight.
My question is, should I jack up the axle so that the springs go in to the bucket, than put a jack stand under to hold it up, than tighten down the radius arm nuts? Or shoould I jack the axle up get the springs into place, attach my break lines, shocks etc... put my tire on than tighten my radius arm nuts?

 

[Cwheeler]

Hey a local guy , ive done this a couple times now, just jack the axle up and push the coil into the bucket attach the shock and coil retainer and it should hang there fine. are you using the stock radius arms? if you ever did this again id reuse the D28 radius arms they have a MUCH better shock mount.

 

[410Fortune]

The coil is retained in the bucket with the J tabs, you must get the ttb coil in the bucket properly (rotate to the correct spot) or you will have a different ride height side to side. You may also want to make some J clips or some coil spring retainers and dont rely on the BII bucket to retain the coil 100%. If your shocks are long enough and you are getting enough flex the coil can come out of the bucket and that makes for an interesting drive home.
Limit straps can perform the same function.

 

[SBJ420]

Alright I got my tires on. I had to put the tires on for the radius arms to line up to beable to get the bushings in right. Man this is alot of work with no help! but it can be done I think I will be done tomorrow. All I need to do is hook up the steering arms to the pitman arm, re tighten all the nuts and bolts, get the back side of the bushings and nuts on. oh yeah!!!!!!!!!! My drive shaft fits in with no problem at all! Does not need to be cut at all
Now as far as I know I had nothing holding my coils inplace, just those tabs, and thanks for the heads up on making sure they are in the right place, I thought that I could just put them in, and make sure that all the tabs were in the right spot. Where can I get some of these coil spring retainers? Or what do I make them out of?

I have only had around 1h each day after work this week to work on this swap, get home at 4:30 and dark at 5:30, I just want to get done before the rain!

Hey Cwheeler
Very local
I did use the stock ex radius arms, but I will be keeping the D28 ones to swap over at some point. What are you driving?

Oh yeah one question, I did take one radius arm braket off aswell...
But should I be using loctight on all of these nuts and bolts I am taking off? Like the beams etc?

 

[Cwheeler]

Just use a small amount of lock tight should be suffiecent.

Im driven a 91 explorer now, traded my 90 Ranger for it. and my wheeler is a 87 Ranger Turbo Diesel, D35 and 8.8 stock suspension for the time being sitting on some 31" bald ass baja claws. what kinda lift in your B2 ther? lookin good man the 35 is quite a bit tougher then the 28.

 

[SBJ420]

really a Turbo Diesel, nice, there is a thread about people asking about Diesel rangers and BII's on this site. Has 4" lift coils in back on top of a 8.8 and 4" lift coils infront, with the D35, also has a 4" body lift that I am going to be working on taking out, maybe replace with a 2". Makes it so easy to work on. And it has 6" glass flare fenders, make alot of room, and 35x12.5 15s. Where do you go wheeling around here? I am some what new to BC. I usally go up ER or somthing close, and back harris way / mission etc

 

[SBJ420]

okay I got my tires on, and its now off the jack stands, but I am having some problems. #1 The tierods dont line up with the pitman arm, it does match up but the tierod needs to move forward some, towards the front of the truck... Is this because they were bent when this was moved around or because of the lift and because they are off an ex? I do have the arms from my D28 I can put on the D35 if thats going to make it work. #2 I have the radius arms in the brackets but they need to be pulled out more, pulled toward the out side of the truck, I cannot get the bushings on the back, so the radius arm is not center in the bracket. How can I get them to line up? Other than that I am done for now, I am going to buy new shocks, and I need to get one of the springs lined up right in the bucket, but goto figure out how to hold it in the right spot

 

[SBJ420]

Got my alignment done today!



so I took off the radius arm brackets, and than it was dark. I think I will need to jack up the truck to get the tires to hang, and the beams to level out, they are pushing forward, or leaning forward. Fun

keep in mind the tie rods are not hooked up!